Lumber-drier



(No Model.)

W. E. COLE.

LUMBERDRIBR.

[Patented Apr. 27, 1886.

N, PETERS. PhblbLKhogmphcr. Wazhinglon. D. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

\VILLIAM E. COLE, OF MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA.

LUMBER-DRIER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 340,660, dated April 27, 1886. I Application filed September 26, 1985. Serial No. 178,257. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, \VILLIAM E. COLE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Montgomery, in the county of Montgomery and State of Alabama, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Lumber-Driers, of which the following is a specification, ref-' erence being had therein to the accompanying drawings. Y

My invention relates to lumber-driers in which hot air alone or hot air and smoke are used to evaporate the moisture contained in lumber and other substances; and the objects of my improvements are to provide a drier in which air heated by direct contact with fire or flame, in connection with air heated byindirect radiation, can be used together or separately with safety to dry inflammable mate rial, as lumber. I attain these objects by the construction illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a horizontal section ofa lumberdrier constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical sec tion of the same. Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical section throughthe rear or transverse flue and side chimneys 'of the drier. Fig. 4 is a similar view through the center of the drier. Fig. 5 is a front View of one of the arches on a larger scale.

Similar letters refer to similar parts through out the several views.

The dimensions ofthe drier may vary accord ing to the material or the length of the lumber produced in different sections of the country. The most suitable would be about eighteen feet wide by forty to seventy feet long, and any desired height.

The frame is represented at A. It can be made of lumber or other suitable material, and within the bottom of said frame are a se ries of arches, 13, preferably made of brick, extending the whole length of the drier, and communicating at their rear end with a trans verse arch, B leading into the bottom of chimneys 0, provided with registers D, resting either upon the top thereof, as shown in the drawings, or placed within their interior. The rear end of each arch B is also provided with a large opening, I), in the top, for the fireheated air and smoke to escape directly into the interior of the drier, where its caloric is absorbed by the'lumber or material placed therein, and finally escapes through the large flue E, passing through the ceiling E and roof A of the drier at its forward end.

To retain the heat in the arches and provent charring of the frame and sheathing of the drier, sand or dirt d is packed around the sides and top of said arches. To transfer a portion of the latent heat of this sand directly to the rear of the drier and cause it to circulate through the lumber on its way to the flue E, a series of pipes, G, are laid horizontally, or nearly so, into the sand d, and the heat of the latter, in connection with the draft produced by the chimney or large fine E, causes currents of air to enter at the front end of the pipes G and escape at the rear, adjacent to the dischargeopenings b of the arches B. These arches are also provided with longitudinal fines B either made of tiles embedded in said arches, or left as horizontal openings while building the arches. The packed sand ordirt d is retainedclose to the ends of the arches by transverse walls A A, and the air-fines, preferably, made of terracotta or oftiles, pass through these walls.

Between the sand-supporting wall A and the rear wall, A of the drier are placed horizontally one or more thicknesses of wire screens, h, to effectually arrest all sparks that may have traveled the whole length of the longitudinal brick arches. Thesescreens, being placed horizontally on a level with the drier-floor, do not interfere with the passage of cars H over rails placed upon said floor.

The doors D of the drier are preferably arranged to slide-up to open them, and are counterbalanced by weights. The openings b on top of the rear portion of the arches B, are controlled by sliding dampers I), either connected together and adapted to be operated from the side or disconnected and adapted to be operated separately from the rear of the drier.

WVhen yellow pine is to be dried by fire, heated air, and smoke, the dampers b are withdrawn from over the rear openings, b, of the arches. and the registers D of the side chimneys, G, are closed. Then, the air admitted through the pipes G and B as well as the air loo and smoke in the arches B pass upward through the horizontal screens or spark-arresters h to thedrying-room and escape through the flue E.

\Vhen the drier is to be used for white pine and other lumber that smoke might slightly darken, the arclropenings b are closed by the dampers I) and the chimney-registers D are opened to carry ofit the smoke; but the currents of air entering the front end of the pipes G and fines B" continue to be discharged at the rear end of the drier, and the heat ascending from the brick arches and sand and dirt floor passes directly through the lumber mounted upon the cars in the chamber A and seasons it thoroughly in one or two days of time.

The lines G and B" may be provided with doors or stoppers, to regulate the amount of air passing through them.

Having now fully described my invention, I claim- 1. The combination of the chamber A, having an air-escape flue out of its ceiling over its front end, doors at both ends, and walls A A at said ends, a series of arches, B, and airpipes G, parallel with the arches and passing through the walls A" Aflwith the rear wall, A and horizontal spark-arresting screens h, extending across the chamber substantially on a level with its floor and between the walls A A, substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. The combination of the chamber A, having doors at both ends and an air-escape flue over its front end, a floor having fire-arches. and air-pipes extending parallel with said arches the whole length thereof, chimneys at the rear corners, and a transverse flue leading from the fire-arches to said chimneys, substan tially as and for the purpose described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM E. COLE.

Vitnesses:

Jos. O. ALLEN, E. F. STRA'rFoRn. 

